


Crushes Are Safe (Until They Aren't)

by LittleBlackGoldfish



Series: Bemily Week 2021 [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Coffee Shop, F/F, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29589267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBlackGoldfish/pseuds/LittleBlackGoldfish
Summary: Beca Mitchell does not have a favorite coffee shop (it's worse than that).Bemily Week 2021 Day 1 - Coffee Shop
Relationships: Emily Junk/Beca Mitchell
Series: Bemily Week 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173860
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Crushes Are Safe (Until They Aren't)

Beca is just starting to think that maybe the english language was a mistake, staring at the fifth email in two hours that says precisely nothing in approximately five paragraphs, when someone knocks at ler office door. Looking up she sees Chloe standing there like a literal angel holding two cups of coffee.

"Here," she says, putting it down on Beca's desk and pushing it forward, "Before you start drooling. From your favorite place."

What?

"I don't have a favorite coffee shop."

And she doesn't.

Chloe snorts, the bitch.

"Sure, just one that you go to everyday."

Beca glares up at her best friend, "Dude. It's on the way."

"It is, in fact, a block out of your way," Chloe counters.

Whatever, it doesn't matter what Chloe thinks, so Beca just waves her off and turns her attention back to the (incomprehensible) email(s) on her phone. Would it be easier to read them on her computer? Bigger screen and all.

Or would that be giving these idiots in advertising more credit than they deserve. They keep trying to convince her that Tanya — Beca's latest client, and all of 17 — should 'sex it up a little' in preperation for her next single. Which, not about to happen, but Beca is trying to be more mature these days and so she has to figure out a way to get them to back off without sending back something more than 90% profanity.

Theo has been getting on her case about traumatizing the poor benighted misogynists. But, ever since she took on Tanya, Beca has been feeling some kind of way. All like, sentimental and shit, disgusting really, but—

Hold on.

Chloe is still in her office.

Chloe has in fact sat down on the big couch across from Beca's desk.

Chloe is also loudly slurping on her own coffee. Which she got from the same coffee shop.

Which she sent an intern out to get? No. She knows where it is, that it's a block off of Beca's normal way into work.

Shit. Double fucking shit.

"There we go."

Bitch.

She doesn't have to say anything; Chloe doesn't know shit, can't prove shit, and that means Beca can keep her stupid mouth shut and there doesn't ahve to be anything to talk about.

"Which one is it?"

Nope. She is definitely not falling for that. Whatever she says next, Chloe'll twist into, like, proof or something. She'll weaponize that shit, just to fuck with Beca. 

Focus on her emails. Those important emails that have to do with her actual job and not the imagined lovelife her best friend has built up in her head in the… thirty minutes since she went down to the coffee shop.

"Not the one with the big tits, too much for you. I could get it," Chloe muses.

God. This is fucking humiliating already. Why is she friends with this woman again? 

Something to do with a college shower and terrible choices in boys.

"The one with the accent? Sorry, Beca, pretty sure she's straight."

Beca will not rise to the bait, she is thirty-three fucking years old and way to fucking old for this college-tier romance bullshit Chloe is pushing by at least like a decade. Honestly she was too old for it when she was still in college. Just too stupid to get out of the line of fire (given the current circumstances, apparently she's still too stupid).

"Hmm," hums her best friend, slash tormenter, "No. What about the boy? He was a little," and then Chloe made a hand motion Beca wasn't even sure how to interpret, "Cute, but too squeaky."

What did that even mean?

"You'd be too much for him."

For that Beca glares at her friend, who only laughs.

"None of them? Damn, I'll have to go back."

Maybe she won't. Maybe Beca can bribe one of the interns to, like, get broken up with and distract Chloe with a fresher kill. That would buy her at least a few days.

Finally, finally, Chloe gets up, "Don't relax Mitchell, I will figure out who your little crush is. Just you wait."

She is most definitely screwed.

*  
*

There's a line. There's always a line. Beca doesn't get it, the coffee is mediocre at best (caffeine junkie she may be, but not just any cup will do) and overpriced and yet every morning there's a five minute line.

Half the counter staff nods to her in greeting, which, oh god, if Chloe really makes good on her threat and keeps coming in is going to be an absolute disaster if they ever figure out they're friends. She will never hear the end of it. Maybe she should just stop coming in. That would solve her problem and then Beca could also get a better cup of coffee each morning.

It's perfect really.

Foolproof.

Chloe'll really be cut off at the knees if Beca just, stops going. What's she going to do then? Pester random service workers over a maybe crush at shop Beca doesn't even visit anymore? With stuff like this, her friend's love lives, Chloe is like a dog with a bone but that doesn't mean she's some kind of psychopath; she's worked these sorts of shit jobs before, they both have, so she's not going to torture any of the baristas with this shit. So if Beca just, stops going, everything will be fine.

Problem is… Beca's not going to stop going.

Which, fuck, may mean this has gone beyond some stupid meaningless crush. 

That's bad.

Fuck. Half the reason this was okay was that it was safe, crushes are fine because you can't fuck up your life with a crush… there's a remove, a distance. Feelings are where things get dangerous, looking is okay. 

"The usual?" Stacy (who yesterday Chloe called 'the one with big tits') asks.

Beca just nods, though this morning it's less her usual sullen disposition and more the sheer panic she feels. She hands over her card mechanically, takes it back the same.

Move off to the side, to wait and—

Fuck. Fucking fuck. 

She can actually feel the corners of her mouth jump up, the way her heart starts beating a little faster. Yeah, Beca is totally screwed. Treading dangerous water.

Emily hasn't noticed her yet, too busy juggling half a dozen different orders and machines with all the grace of a, well, something not especially graceful. Beca has never seen her drop an order, but there's been a few close calls. Her eyes can't help but trace a little beat of sweat that skirts the edges of hair on the back of her neck, pulled up into a ponytail, before they flick up to catch Emily's lips and the line of her jaw.

It's a good jaw. Nice curve.

Good cheeks too. And very… it's all very well put together.

Turning and breaking out into a bright smile which does something dangerous to Beca's stomach, Emily shouts, "Coffee for Rebecca!"

(There's an explanation for that.

She's never been Rebecca; her drivers license, passport, all her school ID's, and even her birth certificate all say Beca. Every friend, every teacher, every telemarketer has called her Beca.

For two months they'd shouted 'Beca!' when her coffee was ready and she watched in silence with her safe little crush, and then one day out of the blue, Emily asked,

"Beca, Beca. Is that short for Rebecca?"

The only thing she could think to do, distracted by the soft shine of Emily's brown eyes, was nod dumbly and agree.

And that had been that.)

"Hey," Emily says, brightly. She does everything brightly to Beca.

"Hey," she parrots back, like a total idiot.

For a moment neither of them says anything. They just stare at each other, until panic kicks in and Beca's brain starts feeding lines to her mouth again.

"I, uh, busy morning," she blinks and finds that, in fact, the place has practically emptied out, "So how're… things?"

She knows things about Emily, she swears, they've had like half a dozen quick chats over the last five months and Beca definitely retained some of it. Just. Her brain is refusing to spit it back out at the moment.

Emily laughs.

"Things are, ya'know, thangin'," a cute blush rises on her cheeks.

"Cool, cool."

This is exactly why Beca wanted to keep things safe and casual, uncomplicated by emotions (hers). Every relationship she's ever had she's literally fallen into. Also how most of them ended. She's always been totally useless at literally every stage of relationships; too uncertain (scared) to make the first move, too in her own head (scared) to let anyone else in, and too petty (scared) to let things go.

Crushes are nice and easy. No expectations, no having to navigate how someone else feels.

"I like your patch."

Beca starts and follows Emily's eyeline to where it's fallen on the bi-pride flag sewn onto the side of her messenger bag, put there by Chloe forever ago because she said she needed to 'advertise.'

"Uh, thanks, " she should say something else, show engagement; what was Emily talking about last time? A requirement for her masters program? God, Beca wishes she could inject the coffee in her hand directly into her brain, make it remember something useful and specific, "Did you what back about the, uh— "

Which is of course when her phone buzzes. Every thought in Beca's head goes flying out.

She almost drops her coffee in her scramble to pull it out of ehr jacket pocket, and then almost sends it flying straight into Emily's face when the end gets caught.

red-headed step-child (chloe): 🐢 👀 4 u

"Shit."

What does Theo want now? This week is supposed to be light for her, all she has is the meeting with- fuck. The call with Halsey's people about the collab with Tanya.

How the fuck did she forget?

Then she looks up and, yeah, Beca knows exactly how she forgot. Yet another reason actual feelings are the pits.

"Um, sorry, I forgot I- just, thanks for the coffee. Have a good day."

'Have a good day?' What the fuck is that? But it's too late to fix, because Beca is already out the door and jogging down the streets.

*  
*

Emily is still staring wistful when Stacie sidles up besides her with a whistle.

"Yeah, she could get it. If you don't make a move soon, I will."

Emily just groans and puts her head down on the counter. She's not even really sure she wants it to turn into something more than a silly crush (she definitely does); Beca is just so… cool. Funny, a little bit biting and so much the opposite of herself that it gives Emily a little bit of a thrill every time they talk. And so clearly in charge of things. 

Meanwhile, Emily has spent almost ten years just figuring out what she wants to do. She turns to her friend.

"Do you think she'd say yes?"

Stacie just snorts. Which, not helpful.

**Author's Note:**

> Not my favorite of the week, but I hope you enjoyed reading it!


End file.
